thermobaric weaponry, the anti sniper round.

This is a version of the standard USMC Shoulder Mounted Assault Weapon but with a new warhead. Described as NE - "Novel Explosive"- it is a
thermobaric mixture which ignites the air, producing a shockwave of unparalleled destructive power, especially against buildings.

Is there anyone out there who has any practical knowledge of this weaponry and is it being used?

We do not such much other then what is fed by the media is Australia, from some of the comments accompanying this article it was said that these
rounds had a purpose in that if a Tank was to fire on a building, it's round would likely go through it hitting several buildings. Where as this
round is effective in destroying the one building.

DID has covered BBN's Boomerang, a vehicle-mounted anti-sniper system, that uses sound localization to quickly target enemy snipers and direct return
fire. It was deployed in Iraq last year, and over 100 have been built. Now a small Alabama firm called Radiance Technologies introduces WeaponWatch,
which uses infared detection to instantly tell you both the location of the shooter and the weapon used. At the same time, Israeli firmElbit Systems
is introducing something called the Sharpshooter Control System.

Put these innovations together, and life may be about to get a lot harder for enemy snipers. Sniping has always been the most personal kind of war -
but new technologies are starting to extend the "information position" capabilities of Western snipers and squads in ways that tip the balance
sharply against their opposition - and make 21st century sniping much more of a team endeavor.

Boomerang System

WeaponWatch picks up on the infrared signature of every weapon the moment it is fired, instantly identifying it from a database of thousands of
weapons muzzle flashes and relaying its position on screen. It has already proven itself in combat. The older, fragile, 400 pound version of this
system was tested in Iraq, on top of a building where there was a high concentration of insurgent gunfire. Within a few days, WIRED reports that
American troops were able to use WeaponWatch to return fire more rapidly, resulting in a noticeable drop in enemy attacks.

WeaponWatch

The US government has invested nearly $15 million over five years in developing this infrared technology. That investment is paying off. The current
version of WeaponWatch is far more durable, integrating the sensor and processor components in a sealed and cooled enclosure measuring just 20" ×
9" x 6" and weighing less than 20 pounds. It can be mounted and employed on moving vehicles, aerostats, UAVs, helicopters, or watercraft. Besides
the 4 test models in use in Iraq, another 20 have been ordered.

No anti-sniper system is perfect, of course, and any system can be fooled or exploited once enemies get a good enough sense of what it can and can't
do. The potential of combination of acoustic Boomerang and infared WeaponWatch sensors, however, may give American forces the multi-modal capability
they need.

Now the only question left is response. The Marines recently tested a program that links the infrared detector to an automatic weapon. It would allow
the combatant controlling that weapon to get a shot off almost immediately after the enemy fired. The issue, of course, is positive target
identification - and enemies who might happily learn to do things like take a potshot to draw an automated response, with the homeowner's child in
front of them in the window.

Enter Elbit systems' subsidiary Ortek with SCS, a Sniper Coordination System that offers commanders unprecedented control and coordination of sniper
(or counter-sniper) teams.

Utilizing a lightweight image splitter attached to the rifle sight, the SCS enables data and image transfer and communications with up to four
sharpshooters simultaneously. The commander can see which target each sniper is aiming at, and convey orders to each sniper - silently if necessary. A
built in messaging capability allows the commander to send a red or green light into the scope to signal the sniper, and send/receive SMS-like
messages as well.

The SCS system includes a next generation add-on for standard Sniper day/night sight which combines battlefield imaging and C3 capabilities, but is
adaptable to any type of day or night sight. Images may be received on a wide range of devices such as a heads up display, tactical computer or IPAC.
They may also be recorded digitally for up to 30 hours, enabling subsequent data analyses of engagements.

Pair that up with Boomerang and WeaponWatch technology, and truly interesting and lethal tactical possibilities open up for 21st century infantry.

This is a version of the standard USMC Shoulder Mounted Assault Weapon but with a new warhead. Described as NE – “Novel Explosive”- it is a
thermobaric mixture which ignites the air, producing a shockwave of unparalleled destructive power, especially against buildings.

A post-action report from Iraq describes the effect of the new weapon: “One unit disintegrated a large one-storey masonry type building with one
round from 100 meters. They were extremely impressed.” Elsewhere it is described by one Marine as “an awesome piece of ordnance.”

It proved highly effective in the battle for Fallujah. This from the Marine Corps Gazette, July edition: “SMAW gunners became expert at determining
which wall to shoot to cause the roof to collapse and crush the insurgents fortified inside interior rooms.”

“Due to the lack of penetrating power of the NE round, we found that our assaultmen had to first fire a dual-purpose rocket in order to create a
hole in the wall or building. This blast was immediately followed by an NE round that would incinerate the target or literally level the
structure.”

The manufacturers, Talley, make bold use of its track
record, with a brochure headlined Thermobaric Urban Destruction.”

But in an era of precision bombs, where collateral damage is expected to be kept to a minimum, such massively brutal weapons have become highly
controversial. These days, every civilian casualty means a few more “hearts and minds” are lost.
Thermobaric weapons almost invariable lead to civilian deaths. The Soviet Union was heavily
criticized for using thermobaric weapons in Afghanistan because they were held to constitute “disproportionate force,” and similar criticisms were
made when thermobarics were used in the Chechen conflict. According to Human Rights Watch,
thermobaric weapons “kill and injure in a particularly brutal manner over a wide area. In urban settings it is very difficult to limit the effect
of this weapon to combatants, and the nature of FAE explosions makes it virtually impossible for civilians to take shelter from their destructive
effect.”

Please visit the link provided for the complete story.

I am sure that the Marines simply LOVED this Thermobaric Weapon - it solves problems Quickly and Easy.

But I wonder what Weapon the Marines did NOT use in the Battle of Fallujah:

War is hell. But it’s worse when the Marines bring out their new urban combat weapon, the SMAW-NE. Which may be why they’re not talking about it,
much.

This is a version of the standard USMC Shoulder Mounted Assault Weapon but with a new warhead. Described as NE - "Novel Explosive"- it is a
thermobaric mixture which ignites the air, producing a shockwave of unparalleled destructive power, especially against buildings.

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